New Delhi: In an effort to enhance communication skills of the umpires, the BCCI, as part of the Umpire Development Program has decided to host an English language upskilling course.

The course will be conducted for the first batch of 20 umpires by a trainer from the British Council from July 23.

The duration of the course has been slated for a period of 10 days and will come to an end on 1st August.

The course has been designed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) along with the British Council and will be held at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai. Richard John

Cox will be the trainer at the workshop.

"The BCCI recognises that a command on the English language is needed for umpires to communicate effectively with players of different nationalities. This is important in the overall development of our umpires and will go a long way in ensuring that the players and the umpires will understand each other and build a healthy relationship," BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur said.

"Mr. S Ravi's induction in the ICC's Elite Panel of Umpires has encouraged us to expand our talent pool. This will not only help the umpires in brushing up their communication skills but will augur well to reach a common understanding in all aspects. There will be an initial assessment of each of the participant before the course starts and another one at the end of the year to measure the success of the programme," he added.